Automatic controller for the speed of autovehicles.



No. 876,164. PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

T. B. FORD.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER FOR THE SPEED OF AUTOVEHIOLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2a, 1906.

2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

h g/ "I 1 No. 876,164. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

T. B. FORD.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER FOR THE SPEED OF AUTOVEHIOLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.28, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THOMAS BURTON FORD, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER FOR THE SPEED OF AUTOVEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, mos.

Application filed March 28. 1906. Serial No. 808.487.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. FORD, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of New York, Far Rockaway, borough of Queens, inthe county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Automatic Controller for the Speed of Autovehicles, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved automaticcontroller for the speed of autovehicles, arranged to automaticallyactuate the gear shifter of the vehicle and establish a given ratiobetween the normal speed of the motor and the speed of the driventraction wheels of the vehicle, and when this ratio is disturbed by anincrease or decrease in the speed of the driven traction wheels then thecontroller shifts the gear to another ratio, which allows the motor torun at its normal speed although an increase or decrease of the speed ofthe traction wheels takes place.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointedout in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in allviews.

Figure 1 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the improvement;Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the reducing valve;Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevaion of the shifting gear; Fig.4 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied, and Fig. 5 is alike view of a modified form of the same.

The motor A of an autovehicle of any approved construction has itsdriven shaft B provided with a number of different sized gear Wheels C,C, C in mesh with gear wheels C, C C, mounted to rotate loosely on ashaft D carrying a bevel gear wheel D in mesh with a bevel gear wheel Dsecured on the axle of the driven traction wheels E of the vehicle. Themotor shaft B is connected by a gearing F with the shaft of an air um'pG having its discharge pipe G provide with two branch pipes G Gconnecting with a cylinder H, attached to the vehicle, and provided withtwo bores H and H of different diameters and containing pistons I and I,both secured to a common piston rod I coupled at its outer end to a gearshifter J mounted to slide longitudinally in a groove D formed on theshaft D above referred to. The gear shifter J is provided at itsterminal with an incline J adapted to engage a clutch pin K mounted toslide in a casing K secured to the shaft D, see Fig. 3. The clutch pin Kis pressed on by a spring K and is adapted to engage a clutch member Cformed on each of the gear wheels C C? and C When the motor is runningand the clutch pin K is moved outward by the incline J into engagementwith the clutch member C of the gear wheel C, the shaft B of the motor,by the gear wheels C, C, and the clutch pin K rotates the shaft D, whichby the gear wheels D, D turns the traction wheels E. When theintermediate gear wheels C, C are inoperation, a given ratio isestablished between the normal speed of the motor and the speed of thedriven traction wheels.

When the shifter J is moved lengthwise in the groove D to engage eitherof the clutch pins K for the gear wheels C C then the shaft D is drivenat a higher or lower speed,

the motor A when driving through either of said gears C, C or C runningat a normal predetermined rate of speed.

The branch pipe G: of the discharge pipe G leading from the air pump Gopens into the larger bore H of the cylinder H at a point next to thebore H and the branch pipe G opens into the outer end of the large boreH,,as plainly indicated in the drawings. In the branch ipe G is arrangeda pressure controlling va ve L having a piston valve L, provided with avalve stem If, pressed on by a spring L to normally hold the pistonvalve L in an open position. The iston rod L is connected with adiaphragm L held in a casing If connected by a pipe N with an air pump 0driven by a suitable gear P from the traction wheel E, as plainlyillustrated in Fig. 4. The casing If is provided with the usual reliefvalve, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The large bore H of the cylinder II ispro vided with leak valves H H on opposite sides of the piston I andadapted to be set by the operator to allow a predetermined amount of airto escape from the bore H of the cylinder H. The outer end of the bore His provided with an air opening H On the piston rod I is secured apiston I moving in a dash-pot H, preferably forming an integral part ofthe cylinder H adjacent to the bore H and in the piston I is arranged anaperture I to allow air, oil or other fluid contained in the dash pot Hto flow from shifted, as hereinafter more fully explained.

5 The dash pot H is provided with a connection H to the atmosphere.

The operation is as follows. The motor A, such as a gasolene engine, forinstance, is run at a uniform predetermined speed. Now assume that thevehicle is going up a hill and the engine driving through the low speedgears C C is reached, there being less friction to overcome the tractionwheels turn faster and throw the intermediate gears 0, 0" intooperation. On a further forward movement on the level the speed of'thetraction wheel is raised by the intermediate gears and the air pump 0pumps more air against the diaphragm L so that the valve L is movednearly into a complete closed position to shut off the pressure in theouter end of the large bore H of the cylinder H, so that thepreponderance of pressure against the pis tone I and I by way of thebranch pipe G causes a movement of the pistonsI and I toward the left,to move the incline J of the shifter J in engagement with the clutch pinK of the clutch member 0 of the gear wheel C to connect the latter withthe shaft D, and consequently the shaft D is rotated at a high rate ofspeed from the motor shaft B without increasing the speed of the motorA. When the vehicle runs down a hill it moves more rapidly owing.to theforce of gravity added to the power of the engine. On a level under thenormal speed of'the engine, the run is finally made by the highspeedgears. When -the resistance to be traction wheels-turn slower, theair-pressure against the diaphragmL decreases, and the valve L opens toadmit sufficient pressure to the outer end of the bore H of the cylinderH to throw the intermediategears C, G into operation. on a furtherincrease in the friction, as in going up a hill, the traction wheels Ein rotating slower, force the air pump 0 to pum less .air in a giventime against the diap ragm L so that the. valve L opens wider, andconsequently more air passes from the air pump G through the branch pipeG into the outer end of the large bore H, to cause the iston I and withit the piston I to be shi ted in the direction of the arrow at, wherebythe incline J of the shifter J moves out of engagement with the clutch.

pin K of the gear wheel C and moves into engagement with the clutch pinK of the gear wheel C to connect the latter with the shaft D, so thatthe latter shaft is now rotated from the motor shaft B byway of the gearwheels C C and the said clutch mechanism. Now when this takes place, thetraction wheels E are driven with more force When the level ground'overcome increases to a certain extent, the

motor A.

It is understood that the air pressure passing into the bore H by way ofthe branch pipe G not only acts against the inner face of the piston Ibut also acts against the face of the piston I, and consequently theres- -sure for shifting the pistons I, I in the direc- .tion of thearrow 0/ 1s considerably less than the pressure exerted against theouter face of the iston I by the air entering the outer end of t e boreH by way of the branch pipe G Now, when a reduction of the pressureadmitted into the outer end of the bore H takes place by shifting thepiston valve L into a nearly closed position, as above described, thenthe pistons I and I travel in the inverse direction of the arrow 0,, andwhen the valve L is opened further and an increase of pressure in theouter end of the bore H takes place, then the pistons I, I are shiftedin the direction of the arrow 0.

' From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement describedthe variation of pressure in the outer end of the bore H of the cylinderH is controlled solely from the tract on wheels E, and consequently themotor A is free to run at a predetermined speed, and the motor A canthus operate to its fullest advantage at all times.

A too sudden change.; iri the position of the pistons I and I isprevented by the use of the dash pot arrangement H I 1t0 insure agrad-.4 l ual change i'n the speed of the driven traction wheels E. iv'l-1. I

'I do not-limit myselfto -the detailed -de scription shown and abovedescribed as'the same may be varied. ilForinsta'nce, as illus-. tratedinFig. 5, the air pump 0 and its drivg ing mechanism P is dispensedwith, and inkstead an air reservoir Q is provided, connect ed by abranch pipe G with the discharge; pipe G of the pump G, which dischargepipe G has a ipe G leading to the large bore. H of the cy inder H. Thereservoir Q is'con nected by a pipe Q with the outer end of the largebore H of the cylinder H, and in this pipe Q is arranged a reducingvalve Q controlled by a governor R driven from the traction wheels E.The branch pipe G is pro vided with a check valve- G, otherwise, the

-construction is the same as above described in reference to Figs. 1 to4, and the operation is similar, the only difference being that the airentering the outer end of the bore H of the cylinder His furnished bythe pump G,

but the amount of this air admitted to the outer end of the bore H iscontrolled by the reducing valve Q actuated from the traction withoutchange'in the normal speed of the wheels E. Thus the action of the valveQ is the same as that of the valve L, that is, to throttle the airpressure passing into the outer end of the bore H according to the.s'peed of the traction wheels E. v

It iswell'known. that a gasolene or other explosive motor is the mosteflicient when run at full normal speed and as long as the motor 18running this speed when disturbed,

as in going up or running down a hill, is automatically restored fromthe traction wheels E, as a lower or higher speed of the traction wheelscauses a chan e to take place in the ower transmission, t at is, at thegearing C,

"; C, C; and C, C, so that the motor runs at its normal speed;

Having thus described my invention, 1

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters matically controlledpressure device for actuating the said shifting device.

'3. An automatic controller for the speed of autoveh'icles, comprisingthe motor, the traction wheels, a shifting device for controlling. thetra'nsmission of power from the motor to the-traction wheels, a pressuredevice for actuating the said shifting device, and means for controllingthe said pressure device from the traction wheels.

4. An automatic controller for the speed of autovehicles, comprising themotor, the traction wheels, a series of gearings for imparting differentspeeds respectivel to the traction wheels, a shifter for control ingsaid gearings and normally maintaining a given ratio of speed betweenthe motor and the traction wheels, a pressure device for actuating saidshifter to change the ratio of speed between the normal s eed of themotor and the varying speed of t e traction wheels, the said pressuredevice being controlled by a reduction or increase of the speed of thetraction wheels.

5. An automatic controller for the speed of autovehicles comprising themotor; the traction wheels, a shifter for controlling the transmissionof power from the motor to the traction wheels, and a pressure devicehaving a c linder provided with connected bores of difl erent diameters,pistons in the said bores, and having a common piston rod connected withthe said shifter, and means for delivering pressure to the saidcylinder, and controlled bv the motor and the traction wheels of thevehicle.

6.- An automatic controller for the speed of autovehicles comprising themotor, the traction wheels, a shifter for controlling the transmissionof power from the motor to the traction wheels, and a pressure devicecomprising a cylinder having connected bores of difierent diameters,pistons in the said bores, and having a common piston rod connected withthe said shifter, an air pump actuated by the motor and havinconnections with the said cylinder, one at t e outer end of the largerbore and another between. the two bores, and a valve in the connectionto the outer end of the larger cylinder and controlled by the tractionwheels.

7. An automatic controller for the speed of autovehicles comprising themotor, the traction Wheels, a shlfter for controlling the transmissionof power from the motor to the traction wheels, a pressure devicecomprising a cylinder having connected bores of different diameters,pistons in the said bores, and having a common piston rod connected withthe sald shifter, an air pump actuated by the motor and discharging intothe said cylinder at the outer end of the larger bore and between thesaid bores, a pressure controlling valve in the connection to the outerend of the larger bore, and means controlled from the traction wheelsand controlling the said pressure controlling valve.

8. An automaticcontroller for the speed of autovehicles comprising themotor, the traction wheels, a shifter for controlling the transmissionof power from the motor to the traction wheels, a pressure devicecomprising a cylinder having connected bores of different diameters,pistons in the said bores, and having a common piston rod connected withthe said shifter. an air pump actuated by the motor and discharging intothe said cylinder I I at the outer end of the larger bore and betweenthe said bores, a pressure controlling valve in the connections, and anair pump actuated from the traction wheels and controlling the saidpressure controlling valve.

9. In a self-propelled vehicle, a prime mover,-speed-changing gearingfor varying the relative speeds of the prime mover and the drivingwheels of the vehicle, a pressuregenerating device mechanicallyconnected to the driving wheels, and means responsive to variations inthe pressure generated in said device controlling said gearing.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS BURTON FORD. Witnesses:

THEO. G. HosTER,

EVERARD B. MARSHALL.

